Working together to transition freshmen & transform schools from the bottom up!

All Blog Posts (208)

Essential Components of a Freshman Transition Program - Part 4 - Classroom Leadership

This series of posts on the essential components of a Freshman Transition Program is based on ideas found in The Ninth Grade Opportunity: Transforming Schools from the Bottom Up by Scott Habeeb, Ray Moore, and…

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Added by Scott Habeeb on December 21, 2010 at 10:00am — No Comments

Freshman in West Virginia and Virginia Walk To Produce $107,000 Impact for Vulnerable Children

The fact is that this generation -- yours, my generation ... we're the first generation that can look at poverty and disease, look across the ocean to Africa and say with a straight face, we can be the first to end this sort of stupid extreme poverty, where in the world of plenty, a child can die for lack of food in it's belly. …

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Added by Ray Moore on December 17, 2010 at 12:00am — No Comments

Freshman Service Project

If you regularly read the posts and resources on The Freshman Transition Network you know that we believe that an essential part of transitioning freshmen is teaching them about their role in the world. Successful transition is about more than just passing classes. It's about becoming the person you were created to be. As educators, we have a unique opportunity to guide students and to give them experiences outside of their norm.

In 2007,…

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Added by Scott Habeeb on November 26, 2010 at 10:00am — 1 Comment

Master schedule

Our high school is looking to hire an outside consultant to assist us with a likely total revamping of the master schedule. We struggle each year with timely completion of the schedule, scheduling study halls, common planning time for teacher teams, etc. Does anyone have any ideas of interview questions you would ask a potential master scheduler? The interviews are this Tuesday morning so please post quickly!! Thanks.

Added by Felice Willis on November 21, 2010 at 10:55pm — 1 Comment

Sample Master Schedules

Does anyone have sample master schedules for a nine period day for freshman teams? Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Added by DJSerafin on November 18, 2010 at 4:29pm — No Comments

Essential Components of a Freshman Transition Program - Part 3 - Standardizing Expectations

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Added by Scott Habeeb on November 14, 2010 at 8:08pm — No Comments

How do you really know if you taught "it"?

This was originally posted on Assessment FOR Learning.

Note to teachers from Salem High School: This is a post about teaching, teachers, and students in general as opposed to a post about specific situations at Salem High School.

So after all the lesson plans have been created, all the class time has been spent, and all the papers have been graded, how do you really know if you've taught your content…

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Added by Scott Habeeb on November 11, 2010 at 10:25pm — No Comments

Essential Components of a Freshman Transition Program - Part 2 - Making Time for Teams to Meet

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Added by Scott Habeeb on October 28, 2010 at 3:29pm — No Comments

AFL and Learning to Drive

This was originally posted on Assessment FOR Learning.

Have you ever watched a teenager prepare for the DMV Learner's Permit test? If you have, then you'll know what I mean when I say that it is an excellent example of Assessment FOR Learning.

(As an aside, I'm having a hard time coming to grips with the fact that my oldest child is now learning to drive a car. Kaitlin is everything I could ask for in a daughter with…

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Added by Scott Habeeb on October 22, 2010 at 3:36pm — No Comments

Do they know if they know?

This was originally posted on Assessment FOR Learning.

Here's a quick and easy way to analyze how well you are applying AFL principles in your classroom:

If a parent were to ask his or her child how they were doing in your class, could the child give an accurate, detailed, and specific answer about his or her progress?

If you are regularly providing descriptive feedback to students…

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Added by Scott Habeeb on October 13, 2010 at 2:59pm — No Comments

Introduction

Hi...my name is Fran Schlenoff. I recently became the Director of Guidance in a New Jersey School. I am looking into starting a Freshmen Studies Program at the High School. Any help is appreciated!!!

Added by Fran Schlenoff on October 4, 2010 at 6:55pm — 4 Comments

Life is about putting others first

Look around your school. How would it be different if people - all people (students AND faculty) - put the needs of others first? What kind of difference would it make? Would your students perform better academically if socially everyone was putting others first?

My thought is that high school would look totally different if people acted this way. I would contend that almost every problem young people (or people) face is somehow a result of not putting others…

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Added by Scott Habeeb on September 28, 2010 at 10:30am — No Comments

10 Ways to Ignite Excitement about School

Did you know that a parent’s excitement about school plays a great role in a child’s enthusiasm on the first day of school? A parent can ignite the fire and passion for learning just by saying the right words. One way to encourage a child is to brainstorm a list of 25 positive words that you can use to encourage your child. Place it in a very visible location in your home. It is important to keep this year moving in a positive direction. Use words of encouragement whenever you can. View any… Continue

Added by Dr. Stephen Jones on September 17, 2010 at 4:08pm — 1 Comment

To Academy Or Not To Academy - that is the question

Freshman Academies is a topic that comes up often when discussing Freshman Transition Programs. This blog post will include links that deal with the pros and cons of the Academy approach to Freshman Transition as well as other alternatives:

Blogs:

Pros and Cons of the Academy Approach…

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Added by Scott Habeeb on September 17, 2010 at 3:30pm — No Comments

Test 'em more - NY Times article and the research on how assessment helps learning

This blog was originally posted on Assessment FOR Learning.…

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Added by Scott Habeeb on September 16, 2010 at 11:30am — No Comments

How to Save Money on Textbooks

The rising cost of books is one expense that stands out in all college budgets. Technical science and math books are among the highest costing text books and English textbooks are not far behind. For years students and parents have complained as their book budgets are stressed. The science books can start at $150 and higher and other books are costing more than $100. Across the country students at four and two year colleges are feeling the pressure of paying for the cost of living on campus and… Continue

Added by Dr. Stephen Jones on September 7, 2010 at 2:30pm — No Comments

Back to School How to Get an A+

Do you want to earn excellent grades in every one of your courses? Join this conversation to get study skills tips that will help you to earn A+ grades. This is for students of all ages. Call 323-417-0075 code 878084. Get your questions answered right after Dr. Jones presents helpful tips. Please confirm your participation at stephenjoness@rcn.com.

Added by Dr. Stephen Jones on September 4, 2010 at 10:30am — No Comments

One Life to Make a Difference

Last year Huntington High School (West Virginia) and Salem High School (Virginia) partnered in the Walk for Africa - One Life to Make a Difference. This walk was the service project for freshmen at both schools. We shared with each other through video conferencing and through a common One Life to Make a Difference ning. The freshmen raised over $12,000. By partnering with World Vision, we were able to donate the money to funds that were matched many times over by the U.S. government and…

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Added by Ray Moore on August 26, 2010 at 10:37pm — 7 Comments

Being an Effective Administrator for a Freshman Transition Program

The Freshman Transition Network is full of blogs and resources related to being an administrator of a Freshman Transition Program (FTP). In an attempt to make it easier for members to find these resources, this blog post is being added to the Hot Topics section of the main page to consolidate the resources related to being an FTP administrator.

Blogs:…

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Added by Scott Habeeb on August 26, 2010 at 3:00pm — No Comments

Creating a Freshman Transition Program

The Freshman Transition Network is full of blogs and resources related to starting/creating a Freshman Transition Program (FTP). In an attempt to make it easier for members to find these resources, this blog post is being added to the Hot Topics section of the main page to consolidate the resources related to starting/creating an FTP.

Blogs: